Electronic discharge tube



June 9, 1953 E. TOURATO N ETAL ELECTRONIC D'ISCHARGE TUBE Filed July 10, 1951 5' sneeis-sp et 1 1h ven tor I To Cg/IILLE WE/L L Attorney June 9, 1953 E. TOURAT ON EI'AL ELECTRONIC DISCHARGE TUBE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 10, 1951 W/ v 5.0. vrrf iT u TN'T' Inventorv E- TOURATON C. WE'LL.

(far/1 Attorney June 9, 1953 E. TOURATON ET AL 2,641,725

ELECTRONIC DISCHARGE TUBE Filed July 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 o c a o o O 67 o a I o v Q 0 a a o o a a 0 I 66 a o o o Q o v o o o 0 0 O a 0 o o a o o o 64 H I 11;.4]. A 58 Inventor E- T URATON C WEI LL A tlorne y Patented June 9, 1953 ELECTRONIC DISCHARGE TUBE Emile Touraton and Camille Weill, Paris, France, assignors to International Standard Electric Corporation, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 10, 1951, Serial-N0. 235,914

7 g In France June 30, 1950 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to multi-electrode gas tubes such as those used for counting the electrical impulses, for example in automatic telephone systems or in electronic mathematical machine circuits.

In counting electrical impulse systems, there is generally used to perform the counting, the marking and the registering of the received impulses, a circuit comprising a plurality of vacuum tubes or gas tubes interconnected so that the arrival of an impulse causes the passing of the whole circuit from one stable state to another, each stable state being generally characterised by the firing of a certain number of tubes.

Multi electrode gas tubes are also utilised in which a discharge can fire and sustain itself between a common electrode, for example one anode, and an electrode of a plurality of identical electrodes such as cathodes, the said gas tube being associated with a circuit established so that each impulse transmitted with the circuit associated to the gas tube causes the transfer of the electrical discharge from one of the cathodes to another. In such tubes, the order in which the discharge passes from one cathode to another is characterized on the one hand, by the arrangement of the said cathodes and of'the control electrodes of the tube, and on the other hand, by the circuits associated with the said gas tube.

The multi electrode gas tubes known in the art usually necessitate the use between the said gas tube and the impulse source, of a divider circuit which directs the impulse either towards one series of electrodes, or towards another series of electrodes, for example, according to Whether the impulses are odd or even.

The present invention has for object a multi electrode gas tube in which the impulses, of suitabl shape and amplitude, are applied to a group of identical electrodes which insures the transfer of the discharge from one electrode to another'in a predetermined 'direction so as to simplify the circuit associated with the said tube.

According to one of the features of the invention a multi-electrode gas tubecoin'prises in combination a'plurality of identical cathodes, for example of a rectangular shape, arranged one after the other, a plurality of transfer electrodes, for example of a rectangular shape, each transfer electrode being located between two of the said cathodes, a common anode oppositely arranged to said cathodes and said transfer electrodes, an electrode or shielding plate in which have been provided rectangular apertures opposite to said cathodes and said transfer electrodes, the said apertures being joined by a slot, the distance between the said electrodes being established so that, when a suificient positive voltage is applied between the said anode and the said cathode, a discharge establishes itself between the said anode and one of the cathodes; and so that, when a negative voltage is applied simultaneously to all the transfer electrodes the said electronic discharge is transferred to one of the cathodes adjacent to the said cathode from which the discharge has already started to fire, the direction in which the discharge is transferred being determined by the shape of the apertures which are provided in the said shielding plate.

According to another feature of the invention in such gas tubes, the electrodes are regularly arranged along a circle, the number of the oathodes being equal tothe number of transfer electrodes so that the counting may be easily carried out in a constant manner.

According to another feature of the invention in such gas tubes the apertures made in the shielding plate are of a rectangular shape, the width of the said aperture being smaller than the width of the corresponding electrode, the said shielding plate being arranged with regard to the cathodes and transfer electrodes. so that one of the sides of the said apertures is perpendicular to one of the sides, forexample the right hand side of the corresponding electrode, all the said apertures provided in the shielding plate being joined to one another by a perpendicular slotto the 'said cathodes and the said transfer electrodes.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from readingv the present description of an embodiment illustrated in the annexed drawings;

Figure 1 represents the different parts and electrodes constituting a gas tube incorporating features of the invention;

v Figure 2 represents a part'of the shielding plate electrode;

Figure 3 represents theoperating circuit of the gas tube represented on Figure 1;

Figure 4 represents an alternative of the tube represented on Figure 1; I

On Figure 1, there are shown in perspective a series of identical cathodes l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 made of rectangular metallic plates for-example nickel, These cathodes are arranged at regular intervals one behind the other. Between each twoconsecutive cathodes are arranged rectangular metallic electrodes, called transfer electrodes, such as 6, 'l, 8 and 9. i0 is a metallic electrode called a shielding plate; it is provided with apertures such as II and i2 communicating with one another by a slot !3. Anode it is constituted by a metallic plate. Mica plates such as H5, 85, ii, l8 and I9 are used to maintain the spacings between the different electrodes. Mica plates il and 18 are provided with a slot such as 2% or 2|, opposite to slot [3 provided in the shielding plate.

The mica plates, th shielding plate and the anode are provided with holes such as 22, 23, 2d, 25, 26, 21, 28 and 29. Glass rods such as BilandiSi fit in those holes and hold in position the different electrodes and the different mica plates. The assembly constituted of the various electrodes and the mica plates is held rigidly as a unit by means of end frames 32 and 33 which are joined together, for example by means ofbolts or rivets,

gard to the corresponding electrode. In the example represented on Figure 2, the aperture corresponding to an electrode is in registry with the right-hand portion of that electrode whereas the left-hand portion of the electrode is in registry with a slot such as it or 41.

The schematic of the circuits associated with the tube shown on Figure 1 is represented on Figure 3.

' For simplification, a tube has been represented in Fig. 3 which only comprises four cathodes d3, 50, and 52 and three transfer electrodes 53,154 and 55. The potential difierence between anode 48 and cathodes 49, til, 51 and 52 is greater than the striking voltage corresponding to the anodecathode gap; The transfer electrodes such as 53, 54 and 55 are maintained at a positive potential with regard to the cathodes.v When the voltages are, applied to the different electrodes of the tube a discharge is struck and is maintained between one of the cathodes and the anode. Since all the cathodes are identical, as well in shape as 'in position with respect to the anode, the discharge strikes at random between any one of the cathodes and the anode. The current passing between this cathode-and the anode causes a voltage drop through resistance 5% and the anode potential lowers itself so that the difference in potential between the'anode and any one of the cathodes becomes lower than the striking voltage; 1

The discharge between the cathode and the anode passes through an aperture such as 52 (Fig. 2) provided in shielding plate (Fig. 1) and when the current passing through the tube and the dimensions of the different electrodes are suitably chosen, the glow is localised in the rectangular aperture of the shielding plate provided opposite to cathode 38 (Fig. 2). As'shown in Figure 2, aperture 42 corresponding'to cathode 38 is much nearer aperture d5 corresponding to transfer electrode 3! than it is to aperture 54 corresponding to transfer electrode 58. If a negative impulse of a sufficient amplitude is simultaneously applied to all transfer electrodes so that on the one hand, the difference in potentween cathode t3 and the anode.

whole duration of the negative impulse the glow tial between the anode and any one of the transfer electrodes is higher than the striking voltage for the space between anode and transfer electrode and, on the other hand, the potential of the transfer electrode is lower than the potential .of cathode 38, a discharge strikes between the transfer electrode ii and the anode. The striking is set up and is determined by the glow existing between cathode 38 and the anode by the slot ti provided in the shielding plate. The dimensioning of the electrodes and the value of the resistance 55 (Figure 3) being provided in such a way that no discharge may exist simultaneously between the anode and cathode, on the one hand, and between theanode and a transfer electrode, and on the other hand, the discharge ceases be- During the discharge is maintained between the transfer electrode t! and the anode.

When the negative impulse applied to transfer electrodes ceases, the. potential difference between the transfer electrode 4! and the anode becomes lower than the maintaining potentia1,the discharge ceases and the potential of the anode reaches again the high voltage potential. The voltage between the cathodes and the anode be-. comes then greater than the striking potential because of the position of the apertures provided in the shielding plate, the glow is transferred from aperture 35 corresponding to transfer elec-;

trode ii, to aperture 23 corresponding to cathode 3% through the slot 50.

At each negative impulse transmitted to the transfer electrodes, the glow passes fromone cathode to the next cathode in a direction determined by the position of the apertures provided in the shielding plate. On Figure 3, it may be seen that, in the example considered, if the first impulse has caused a discharge between cathode ls and anode s8, this discharge is transferred to cathode 52 after the fourth negative impulse transmitted to the transfer electrodes so as to perform continuously the counting, the circuit must be reset to normal by applying a negative impulse to cathode 52 which in certain embodiments may present certain. drawbacks.

Figure 4 represents another embodiment of a counting tube such as the one represented on Figures 1, 2 and 3. In the tube'represented on Figure l, the cathodes and the transfer electrodes, of a rectangular shape are arranged one behind the other. In the example represented on Figure 4 cathodes such as 58, 59 and 6!), of a trapezoidal shape, are regularly arranged along a circle. The'transfer electrodes are constituted by teeth such as 5!, 52 and 63 provided along the circumference of a circle 64. The apertures such as 65 provided in the shielding plate 66 are of a trapezoidal shape;-they are arrangedalong a circle opposite to the cathodes and the transfer electrodes. The electrodes are provided with holes such as 61, -68 and 69 in which fit the glass rods such as Hi s astomaintain the. different electrodes in position. The operation of the tube is in all points identical to the operation of the tube represented on Figure 1, however as the cathodes are regularly arranged along a circle, if

for example ten cathodes are provided, the meter will automatically be reset to zero after reception of the tenth impulse which enables to simplify the control circuits of thetube.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific embodiments, and particular modifications thereof, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed:

1. A gaseous discharge tube selectively responsive to the receipt of a series of successive impulses, comprising in combination, an enclosing envelope containing a filling of an ionizable gaseous medium, a plurality of discrete cathodes arranged in successive equally spaced array, an anode common to all said cathodes and equally spaced therefrom, a plurality of glow discharge transfer electrodes also arranged in successive array there being one such transfer electrode located between each pair of adjacent cathodes, a conductive shielding electrode located between said cathodes and said anode, said shielding electrode having a series of windows each aligned with a corresponding cathode to permit the passage of electrons between the corresponding cathode and said anode, each of said windows being constituted of two sections one of which is larger than the other and with the larger section registering with only a part of the area of the corresponding cathode the smaller section of each window being located closer. to a preceding cathode than to a succeeding cath-' ode to cause the glow discharge to be shifted in a predetermined direction to successive cathodes in response to successive impulses impressed on said transfer electrodes.

2. A gaseous discharge tube according to claim 1, in which all said cathodes are connected electrically to a common connection for'applying a negative potential thereto, and all said transfer electrodes are electrically connected for applying negative impulses thereto.

3. A gaseous discharge tube according to transfer electrodes.

claim 1, in which the large section of each of said windows in the shielding electrode is in alignment with only a correspondingportion of the associated cathode, said larger window section being located closer to the next succeeding cathode than to the next preceding cathode.

4. A gaseous discharge tube selectively responsive to the receipt of a series of successive impulsessuch as impulses to be counted, comprising in combination, an enclosing envelope containing a filling of an ionizable gas, a series of successive spaced cathodes, an anode common to said cathodes and equally spaced therefrom, a series of successive glow discharge transfer electrodes each located symmetrically between a corresponding adjacent pair of cathodes, a conductive shielding electrode having a series of windows each in alignment with a respective cathode and a respective transfer electrode, each window having alarge area section and a smaller area section, each large area section serving to maintain a discharge between the anode and the respective cathode or the respective transfer electrode, and the smaller window sections serving to control the movement of the discharge from one cathode to the next succeeding cathode in afixed direction in response to successive impulses applied to said EMILE TOURATON.

CAMILLE WEHJL;

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

